Take the leap retro pictures

I hope you had a good weekend. I ate way too much food and enjoyed every bite of it. Why does warm turkey and gravy taste as good as it sounds? To start off our back to work week, these fashion and retro pictures reminds me to take the leap of faith. Life is way too short not to! Just close your eyes, hold on tight and let go...



This woman will have to take the leap and unchain her heels. May I suggest to her, some flat ballet shoes for next time!

Seth Walker is a cool artist coming up on the Austin music scene. One music review of his sound was "bubbling soul southern stew". His self titled album Leap of Faith shows off his all knowing voice and sound.

This photo captures what it can feel like to take the leap of faith to be with someone else. The couple must feel like they are the only two people in the world.

You can do it little fishie because we believe in you. Take the leap and you'll make it to a better home... We could learn so much from this brave little fish.

All I want to do is to give this woman the strength to get up from her empty room and take the leap into in her life. What are some of the things you've done to help you move forward in life? (This interview post might help you jump start your answers...)

Inspirational Weekend Quote

This inspirational weekend quote is brought to you because ...Happy Thanksgiving to you and to your family. And if you don't live in the States, I hope you had a lovely week filled with gratitude.

We had an easy drive down to L.A. and am enjoying being with everyone. Tonight is our engagement party so please cross your fingers and send over some good vibes. (I'll post about it this week).

I am grateful for many things this year. Thank you for all of your blog support, care and ideas. I love this inspirational weekend quote, "I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything I thought it could be." Ah to be a lady of leisure. Doesn't this quote say exactly how you feel today?

Easy Lemon Meringue Pie

Happy Thanksgiving lovelies! I hope you have a wonderful turkey day. Now if you woke up this morning upset because you're not sure what to bring to your dinner, then look no further. This easy to make lemon meringue pie is a winner every time.

For me there's something about a refreshing slice of lemon meringue pie. I love the tart and sweet combination. And please do not forget to add the graham pie crust. It seems to compliment the pie just right!

You will need

1 can of condensed milk
3 eggs separated
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 9-inch pie shell (store bought with graham crust or home made)

1 teaspoon lemon zest (grate the lemon peel for the zest)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar

This recipe will make 8 servings

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake pie shell until light brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
To make the Filling:
First you separate the eggs, by placing the whites in a small mixing bowl.
Next in a medium bowl, mix condensed milk, egg yellows, lemon juice and zest, until well blended and thickened. Pour your lemon mixture into the pie shell.

To make the Meringue:
With a mixer, beat the egg whites until they froth.
Add sugar and vanilla and beat until peaks begin to form.
Spread meringue over the lemon mixture with a spoon, pressing lightly.

Place your pie into the 375 degrees oven and bake until the top is a golden brown.

Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.

Add some whip cream and powdered sugar to the top of your easy lemon meringue pie and make yourself some tea. What easy recipe do you make when your in a pinch, but it's a winner every time?

Your Thanksgiving invitation

Your invited to the first Under the Sheets~shhh Thanksgiving. I'm excited you could join me. At my virtual table only certain things and people are allowed to come. Think of it as the cool kids holiday dinner. Please use this as your personal invitation.

First stop creative menu tags...

We'll have flowers spread all around the table...

Be prepared that I'll be cooking from two cook books. The Williams-Sonoma cookbook and a little bit of everything from the All Star Thanksgiving recipes. I hope you like walnut stuffing.

Yes, we will also have gratitude rocks spread throughout the house. I love this as a reminder to be grateful. (Here are my gratitude posts for you).



If you'll be a little late, please call me so I don't have to stare out the window....waiting. Oh do you feel the guilt?

Invitation idea from Design Mom

Our Thanksgiving table will look like this with some other blue accents.

After dinner can we will play in the leaves?

I hope you liked your personal Thanksgiving invitation. And this is the perfect apron to wear to our Thanksgiving dinner. Even if you order out, you have to look the part, right? Which holiday is your favorite sweetie? (In the States and outside of the States, of course)

Boutique Thanksgiving dreams

This Thanksgiving we're off to see my family in L.A. This is one of my favorite times of the year. We get to step out of our lives, rest and be with the ones we love. I love to take the boutique design style of San Francisco and mix it with a little Southern California. (Click here to read about the top ten reasons you know you've been in L.A. for too long...)

There's something about white lights that make me smile. This one shoulder dress with colored bow shows off her classy and funky style.

Très funky and creative use of autumn colors. What a simple design, but lovely presentation. (Here's some great creative ideas table ideas from Blissfully Domestic.)





And in my boutique Thanksgiving dreams, I would love to write in an office like this. So creative, clean and bright. This room would be a wonderful escape if needed from some family.



When I travel, I wish I could bring a rack of clothes (collapsible clothing rack) to make my clothes choices perfect. Oh sure it's not a fashion show!



And to end my boutique Thanksgiving dreams, I must end with one of my favorite desserts. Check back in on Thanksgiving day for my easy to make lemon meringue pie recipe. What boutique dreams do you have?

Inspirational Weekend Quote

Doesn't this inspirational weekend quote make you want to ask the questions who, what, where, when and why? Rocco Siffredi whatever do you mean... are you talking about hiking, cooking, dancing, fighting, shopping, see family, have children?

Oh the possibilities are endless!

This weekend, I'm looking forward to having a couple of days off next week for the holidays. Thanksgiving is my favorite day because I am addicted to turkey and gravy. I also love the positivity and holiday cheer.

Try to keep your answers PG13 and let me know what you never do because it's too exhausting. I love quotes that makes me think beyond the day to day. Don't you? Happy weekend lovelies!

Baby, it's cold outside

In San Francisco the weather has changed. Right now our nights are cooler then New York and our days are bright and brisk. After I tweeted, I secretly like it when its cooler a friend wrote back, "You can take the girl out of Canada"! This is so true. I am loving these warm, cozy retro pictures. All I want are some fuzzy socks, tomato soup and hot chocolate. So bundle up and enjoy...

My inspiration came from by Brunch at Saks: Comfy Cozy Monday
Thanx sweetie!

How stunning and romantic is this shot?

I love lazy days like this on a cool November day. She seems like she doesn't have a care in the world.





I am in love with this wrap coat. How awesome would it look if you added a belt and some boots? All of a sudden I feel warmer.





This warm and retro family room is just lovely. I could stay in a room like this for hours with a blanket and some tea.

Check out this coffee cup cozy warmer from Etsy. This just makes me giggle and hopefully would keep my hands warm.

Hey, baby it's cold outside. So let's make a deal that tonight we'll go home and stay warm, cozy and retro. These socks are a great way to start (minus the retro). What are some of the things you do to stay warm? Do you secretly like it when the weather gets cooler?

Should men wear engagement rings?

I have been struggling with a question that I hope you can answer. Generally speaking, why don’t men wear engagement rings? Future brides wear a ring to show that they’re almost taken. Other then his word, what does a man have to show that he’s engaged? Well for one thing, an empty bank account for purchasing that amazing engagement ring, but what else?

The other night Honey and I went out for drinks with his sister to a lovely SF wine bar. The place was packed so we sat on the same bench as another couple. Out of nowhere the man, not the woman, asked if we were newly engaged. I giggled and answered, “Yes how did you know? He stated, “I knew because your ring is so shiny that I can’t stop looking at it.”

My theory is that planning a wedding can be very time consuming and stressful, a gorgeous ring is a wonderful reminder of why your going through the stress.

Unfortunately I’ve had engaged friends that didn’t make it to alter. They made the right decision to not marry that person. But did they give their engagement rings back? Well one did and two others didn’t. According to Wikipedia: “In some states of the United States, engagement rings are considered "conditional gifts" under the legal rules of property. This is an exception to the general rule that gifts cannot be revoked once properly given.”

“The story of men’s engagement ring history is far shorter. For centuries, only women received either engagement or wedding rings, but today the vast majority of men wear wedding rings, and an increasing number also receive engagement rings. This trend began during World War II, when many men were faced with years separated from their loved ones, and simple rings served as reminders about the people they’d left behind."

I love this background information about the history of engagement rings, don’t you? Comment below and tell if you would wear or want your partner to wear a man-gagement ring?

Inspirational Weekend Quote

Congrats! We made it through another busy week, so here's a inspirational weekend quote to lift your spirits. I love this quote because it reminds me that happiness is a state of mind. I believe that we choose to be happy. Don't you?

Choosing to look beyond the imperfections takes work, but I promise that once you master the art there's no looking back.

And speaking of promises, here are the ones I made if you linked back this week. Thanx to the following lovely bloggers for participating in the Get to know you; Facebook Fun link back quizz.

I loved what Carpe Diem wrote about me. Ah shucks, honey you made me blush!

My Promises
Carpe Diem
Joanie's Random Ramblings
Misadventures with Andi
The Clutter Box

This week there seemed to be negativity surrounding me, so I chose to be happy. I tried to rise above and watched instead of participated. What are you going to do this weekend that can lift your soul and make you happy? I promise to giggle if you tell me how this quote touched you?

Bad sleeping habits

I hope you enjoyed this dream/sleep week on Under the Sheets~shhh. I enjoyed revisiting sleepovers and bedtime stories. A couple of weeks ago, I read a wonderful post on Lillies and Grapes blog. Enjoyed it so much that I tweeted about her post. It made me stop and think about my own bad sleep habits.

Foetus
Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.

As far back as I can remember I've curled myself up into a little ball to fall asleep. My sleep position needs to be just right. Who do I think I am, Goldilocks? When I was recovering from major knee surgery, I had to sleep on my back and I never seemed to rest peacefully. Honestly, I've never been described as tough on the outside, but sensitive at heart. However, I have been told that I'm too nice.

So here is my top ten bad sleeping habits. (Click here to catch up with some other top ten posts).

10) I still enjoy a warm glass of milk to lull me to sleep. How old am I?
9) Our bedroom is a cave, blackout curtains and all.
8) I have been known to wear ear plugs. They fall out in the middle of the night, never to be seen again!
7) I sleep in pajama outfits. Seriously…
6) It takes me forever to find a comfortable position on my pillow.
5) At the end of the day I get in bed and I let out an “Ahhhh!”
4) I need about 7 hours of sleep. (I know this will go out the window as soon as I have kids.)
3) Be aware that I cuddle. If you don’t like it then get out of the way.
2) Some of my dreams are so vivid that I find myself running in bed.
And my number one worst sleeping habit is:
1) I’ve been known to talk in my sleep. My father used to say, “I would make a horrible spy!”

Thanx lovelies I feel so much better for analyzing my own sleep habits. Tonight I'm going to rebel and maybe not use ear plugs. Wow, watch out world. Let me know which sleep number made you groan out loud?

Wishful Wednesday: Bedtime stories

On this Wishful Wednesday, I wish when you go to sleep tonight that you remember to read a bedtime story. Or get someone to read one to you. Then add a glass of warm milk, some Polka dot fuzzy pajamas and sink into a happy dream land.

I love this dream state picture and its a great image to remember while trying to fall asleep.

Doesn't she look like she could be in a glamour Alice in Wonderland with the bright colors?


I use to find ladybugs in the tall grass. Now I sometimes see them in my dreams...

Please come over later and help me move my bed into this peaceful sling. Ahhhhh...

Goodnight Moon was one of my favorite bedtime stories. I used to love being read to. When I work with children, I continue this tradition by reading it to them.

Happy Wishful Wednesday everyone! As I'm a light sleeper, tonight I wish to fall soundly asleep. I promise to write down my dreams if you do. Did you used to enjoy a bedtime story? Don't you wish we still did?